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Surprisingly Bike-Like

What a strange, strange feeling it is to ride a bike built up around a frame you worked on yourself (clumsily, messily, and under heavy supervision, but worked on nonetheless!) and discover that it rides like a "real" bicycle.

I am not sure what I was expecting exactly. Ricketiness? Handling so wacky that I'd veer out of control before getting half way down the block? A full-on collapse at the joints on the first pedal stroke? Something like that. But this thing I was on felt surprisingly bike-like.

Whether it's a good bike or a bad bike I do not yet know. But oddly enough, the good vs bad does not seem all that important at the moment. It's the bike part that matters. And as a bike, it is remarkably convincing.

It's a bit silly when bloggers complain about being too busy to write. But what the heck, I'll say it: I've had a crazy couple of weeks. And in the midst of that craziness I somehow decided it was time to finally make this bicycle come alive. Scurrying ensued. Forces were mobilised. Problems surfaced. Chaos and despair reared their ugly heads. And then, just as deflated resignation was about to set in, it all came together and worked at the last minute. Out of my head with joy and disbelieve, I rode this functional two-wheeled object for 40 glorious minutes - fenders, handlebar bag and all - before it was taken apart and stuffed into a travel case, to be re-assembled in Ireland. I did not even take a decent photo.

I will write a calm and lucid post about the build, the purpose, the feel of the ride, et cetera, once the bike is back on the road in its new home. For now I have just enough energy to say thank you to everyone who helped me. I am running a mild fever from the mere awareness that this bike now exists. The experience of riding it for the first time is seared into my memory.

Do you feel like it's a Bike Imposter? Looks pretty Real to me! Congratulations - on the frame and on the build. Sure, you had help but you were (as we say in the legal field) the "controlling mind". :)

My friend Matt built a bike with Ant Bike Mike too, he had some of the same apprehensions but if his experience applies here, you probably have a WAY neat bike. It might not say Ant on the headtube but it was conjured under the wand and watchful eye of one of the best torch wizards around.

Matt's really tuned in and he seems pretty pleased with his(except it did cause him to want to build another, and another, and now he's been lost to the world of normal jobs).

It was WI. Though the drivetrain on the Rawland was functional, I wasn't crazy about it. Can't say for certain whether it was these cranks, or the combination of them with 10 speed Campagnolo, but the setup just didn't feel as effortless as I wanted it to. I already had the RH cranks, obtained through a trade, so thought I'd give those a try on this build.

If I told you how I know this it would tear a hole in the fabric of space and time and destroy two-thirds of the universe, so forget you’ve even read it (I may not have written it yet anyway), but let’s just say I’ve consulted the runes and some day you’ll build a replica of The Quiet Man tandem (or, well, have one built). Trust me, I see stuff. ;)

It's SO pretty, and SO cool that you built it yourself at one of Mike's classes. I'm a little too far away (California), so I'm cheating by having him build one for me. I've wanted an ANT for many years, and finally took the plunge on a Roadster with 3-speed coaster and front drum brakes. Green, of course! :)

The Ant Roadster seems like such an anachronism (especially the way you are getting it set up), until you think about how a bike like that wants to be ridden and then it makes perfect sense. Anyone who makes bikes part of their life can use that bike for so much of their riding (at least until they got too old to throw a leg over), and it would be a source of growing pleasure and satisfaction as you put more and more time and miles on it.

"Anyone who makes bikes part of their life can use that bike for so much of their riding..."

"So much of their riding" is precisely what this bike is about: I'm not a "cyclist" as most people understand the word these days because I don't cover huge miles; don't have a chance to ride every day; and live too far from work to commute. So most of my cycling is of the "go for a ride" variety, and generally done at a mellow pace. I've always had a soft spot for old English 3-speeds, so this will be kind of a modern homage to them, plus I think a beautiful bicycle built exactly the way you want inclines one to ride more. I can't wait!

You can go one of two ways in Mike's classes: build an ANT, or build a bike of your own design (assuming Mike approves it). I did the latter, and the difference is important not so much in a "hey, that's MY bike no an ANT" sort of way, but because Mike would not make the same choices for tubing, geometry, etc., on a bike he'd put the ANT name to. Some of the things I did he specifically did not think a good idea, but allowed to be done in his workshop and under his supervision anyway as long as I understood his opinion and acknowledged the risks. So in that sense, it is my own bike that I built with Mike, rather than an ANT bike I was involved in building.

Great looking bike. And as you've eluded to before, a bike is more then the sum of its parts. I would love to build my own bike some day. something where a little bit of my DNA is pressed into the tubes and joints.

The Rawland had a threadless steerer, whereas this one is threaded - so the stem could not be moved over. The only threaded stem I had in the house was 110mm, so I decided to use that with some short reach bars I had lying around, achieving a similar overall reach to the Rawland's shorter stem and long reach bars combo.

Is it displayed at the NE Bicycle Builder's Ball tonight? That'd be a great piece for ANTbike Mike's area.

I know exactly what you mean about the disbelief part. Expectant that every instrument will implode violently upon stringing up and tuning to pitch, they invariably squawk a bit and learn to be a guitar or bass or uke or whatever in really short order.

Selle Anatomica (see review here). There are things I like and dislike about the SA saddles. But one of the positives is that they feel comfortable (to me) without padded shorts, even in a roadbike position. Important on this bike, because half the time I'll be riding it in street clothes.

Also, I think I know that feeling. Two summers ago, I repaired/patched my car's brake line, redneck style, for the first time after it blew out on me and it took a few hours ... When I tested it out, it worked perfectly (and has worked for more than year now). I was surprised, but at the same time, I didn't do all the work only to expect it not to function correctly. Kinda funny, isn't it?

Ah, interesting. Would love to see a blog post on this subject. What does 'OVER' mean? How have your thoughts changed? I suspect the newer version will also not have a kickstand or twine wrapped around everything. It really is a beautiful build. Kudos.

Oh the joy of building, upgrading or simply tinkering, it can bring as much pleasure as riding the bike, certainly at this time of the year and on occasion make the ride even more enjoyable. I guess a similar question is when does a house become a home? For me it’s only when personalised with a painting, an old mirror hung above the hearth or a lick of paint upon a wall that the house slowly starts to close around you like a favorite blanket. When a bike is new or has been purchased second hand someone else has left their stamp upon it, it often feels like a car seat that is slightly ‘off kilter’ and needs that adjustment to become comfortable, somewhere where you can spend a little time. A shorter stem, trusty saddle or even a new bottle cage can start the process of personalisation and with it the candlelight burning of the ‘eternal tinker’.

My houses, in spite of the paintings, the antique mirror and the paint slung about like snot in a kindergarten, always seem to close in around me like a damp cardboard box rather than a favorite blanket... Probably because I spend too much time messing with the bikes.

Yay, you’ve built it up! Some day soon you’ll be riding around the roads and trails of Northern Ireland when an Irish cyclist pulls alongside and asks you about your new bicycle...“I built it,” you’ll say.“You mean, you built it up?”“I mean I built it.”“How do you mean, you built it?”“I mean I built the frame.”“You mean... you built... the frame?”“Yup.”“You’re kidding me.”“Nope.”“What, you mean, like... welded it?”“Well, not quite welded. Brazed, actually.”“Brazed... They teach you things like that in America?”“Sometimes.”“You’re some woman!”

*Heart swells with pride* :)))

Still, what you’ll need to do is, print out the photo of you filing the frame – the one with you wearing a grey Arran sweater, with your hair tied up – and carry it with you when you’re riding ‘your’ bicycle. It’s the only way they’ll be sure to believe you! :)

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